Compare/Contrast
Which statement best describes the difference in the mediums used by the two authors?
A.
Walkowicz writes a fictional story about Mars, while Limón provides a factual report on stars.
B.
Walkowicz focuses only on the past, while Limón focuses only on the future.
C.
Walkowicz uses a scientific argument in a transcript, while Limón uses figurative language in a poem.
D.
Both texts use identical structures to argue that humans should move to Mars.
C.
Walkowicz uses a scientific argument in a transcript, while Limón uses figurative language in a poem.
Which of the following best describes a central theme of the poem?
A. Home is a place to find peace and comfort.
B. Be brave enough to stand up for what you believe in.
C. People will always doubt the true intentions behind others' actions.
D. Only disappointment comes from examining the universe too closely.
B. Be brave enough to stand up for what you believe in.
The word "mute" in line 22 implies that nature —
A. is quiet and calm.
B. cannot speak for itself.
C. responds to people's actions.
D. does not know what is happening to it.
B. cannot speak for itself.
According to Walkowicz, what is one major effect of the Kepler mission's findings?
A.It has caused the rapid disappearing of glaciers and sea ice on Earth.
B.It has provided data that helps scientists determine if other planets are habitable.
C.It has proven that aliens are already living on Mars.
D.It has allowed private companies to start offering trips to Mars.
B.It has provided data that helps scientists determine if other planets are habitable.
Which detail from the article best supports the claim that Mars is a 'pretty terrible place to live' compared to Earth?
A.Our rovers, like Curiosity, crawl across its surface, scratching for clues.
B.Even in the driest, highest places on Earth, the air is sweet and thick with oxygen.
C.Mars is small and rocky, and it might be considered a potentially habitable world.
D.NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered thousands of potential planets around other stars.
B.Even in the driest, highest places on Earth, the air is sweet and thick with oxygen.
How does the setting of Limón’s poem compare to the 'alien vistas' mentioned in Walkowicz’s talk?
A.Limón describes a high-tech lab, while Walkowicz describes a desert.
B.Both authors focus exclusively on deep space and avoid describing Earthly settings.
C.Limón’s setting is a suburban neighborhood, while Walkowicz suggests we find the 'alien' in Earth's extreme environments.
D.Limón’s setting is on a spaceship, while Walkowicz’s setting is on a lifeboat.
A.Limón describes a high-tech lab, while Walkowicz describes a desert.
What is the central idea of the speech?
A. Humans have not discovered proof of alien life because aliens destroyed their home planet trying to find new planets to inhabit.
B. Because living on Mars will be impossible, the search to discover a planet that can support human life is very important.
C. While exploring the possibility of living on other planets is important, preserving Earth should also be a priority.
D. Mars should be humans' first, not second, choice as a home because Earth will be uninhabitable within fifty years.
C. While exploring the possibility of living on other planets is important, preserving Earth should also be a priority.
In the poem, Limón writes, 'I am a hearth of spiders these days: a nest of trying.' What does the word 'hearth' usually represent, and why is it used here?
A.A hearth is a type of constellation that is often forgotten.
B.A hearth represents the coldness of space, showing the speaker feels empty.
C.A hearth represents a fireplace or the center of a home, suggesting the speaker is filled with internal activity.
D.A hearth is a scientific tool for measuring heat, used to show the speaker is a scientist.
C.A hearth represents a fireplace or the center of a home, suggesting the speaker is filled with internal activity.
According to the article, why does Walkowicz use the Titanic 'lifeboat' analogy?
A.To show that Mars will be a very fun and festive place to live.
B.To encourage more people to buy tickets for private spaceflight.
C.To explain the literal physics of how space travel works.
D.To highlight the danger of believing Mars is a 'backup' for a destroyed Earth.
D.To highlight the danger of believing Mars is a 'backup' for a destroyed Earth.
Which detail best supports the author's belief that colonizing Mars is not the solution to environmental problems on Earth?
A. "We're at a tipping point in human history, a species poised between gaining the stars and losing the planet we call home." (Paragraph 1)
B. "I study planetary habitability as influenced by stars with the hopes of finding the places in the universe where we might discover life beyond our own planet." (Paragraph 4)
C. "Mars is small and rocky, and though it's a bit far from the Sun, it might be considered a potentially habitable world if found by a mission like Kepler." (Paragraph 6)
D. "It is hubris to believe that interplanetary colonization alone will save us from ourselves, but planetary preservation and interplanetary exploration can work together." (Paragraph 11)
D. "It is hubris to believe that interplanetary colonization alone will save us from ourselves, but planetary preservation and interplanetary exploration can work together." (Paragraph 11)
Walkowicz and Limón both mention 'rising tides' or climate change. How do their treatments of this topic differ?
A.Limón uses statistics to describe the tides, while Walkowicz uses rhyme.
B.Walkowicz says we can do nothing to stop it, but Limón says it has already stopped.
C.Walkowicz describes it as a 'planetary-scale environmental change,' while Limón personifies it as something to say 'No' to.
D.Walkowicz thinks the tides are rising on Mars, but Limón thinks they are rising on Earth.
C.Walkowicz describes it as a 'planetary-scale environmental change,' while Limón personifies it as something to say 'No' to.
How does Fermi’s Paradox function as a warning in Walkowicz’s argument?
A.It warns that civilizations might collapse if they prioritize moving to the stars over protecting their home planet.
B.It suggests that space travel is physically impossible for any civilization.
C.It implies that aliens are hiding because they are afraid of humans.
D.It proves that Earth is the only planet in the entire universe with life.
A.It warns that civilizations might collapse if they prioritize moving to the stars over protecting their home planet.
Limón writes, 'we’re forgetting we’re dead stars too.' In this context, what does she mean by 'dead stars'?
A.Humans are physically made of elements created by ancient, exploded stars.
B.We are like actors who are no longer famous.
C.Humans have no energy left and are ready to give up.
D.The stars in the sky are actually holograms that have already burned out.
A.Humans are physically made of elements created by ancient, exploded stars.
In the article, what is the 'long, dark shadow' caused by the excitement about colonizing Mars?
A.The actual shadow cast by Mars as it passes in front of the Sun.
B.The lack of sunlight that astronauts will experience on the journey.
C.The fear that aliens on Mars will attack Earth.
D.The belief that Mars will save us from our own destruction of Earth.
D.The belief that Mars will save us from our own destruction of Earth.
Which sentence best supports the key concept that preservation is as important as exploration?
A. "NASA's Kepler mission has discovered thousands of potential planets around other stars, indicating that Earth is but one of billions of planets in our galaxy." (Paragraph 2)
B. "I study planetary habitability as influenced by stars with the hopes of finding the places in the universe where we might discover life beyond our own planet." (Paragraph 4)
C. "Indeed, it's possible that Mars was habitable in the past, and in part, this is why we study Mars so much." (Paragraph 6)
D. "If we truly believe in our ability to bend the hostile environments of Mars for human habitation, then we should be able to surmount the far easier task of preserving the habitability of the Earth." (Paragraph 12)
D. "If we truly believe in our ability to bend the hostile environments of Mars for human habitation, then we should be able to surmount the far easier task of preserving the habitability of the Earth." (Paragraph 12)
How do both authors use the concept of 'silence' or being 'mute' in their texts?
A.Both authors use it to suggest that humans should stop talking and start acting.
B.Both use it to show that space is a vacuum where sound cannot travel.
C.Limón uses it to describe the stillness of nature and the sea, while Walkowicz addresses the silence of the universe (Fermi's Paradox).
D.Walkowicz uses it to describe alien life, while Limón uses it to describe the suburbs.
C.Limón uses it to describe the stillness of nature and the sea, while Walkowicz addresses the silence of the universe (Fermi's Paradox).
Which of the following best summarizes the relationship between the speaker and the 'rolling containers' in Limón's poem?
A.They represent the mundane, daily actions that should be elevated to a cosmic sense of responsibility.
B.The speaker uses them to store scientific equipment for stargazing.
C.They are a symbol of how human pollution has destroyed the possibility of seeing new constellations.
D.The speaker views them as an annoying distraction from the beauty of the stars.
A.They represent the mundane, daily actions that should be elevated to a cosmic sense of responsibility.
Limón asks, 'What if we stood up with our synapses and flesh and said, No.' What does 'synapses' refer to, and why include it here?
A.It refers to the muscles we use to pick up heavy trash bins.
B.It refers to a type of constellation that is shaped like a human brain.
C.It refers to the chemical waste found in the waxy blue recycling bins.
D.It refers to the brain's connections, suggesting that our intelligence and will must be used alongside our physical bodies.
D.It refers to the brain's connections, suggesting that our intelligence and will must be used alongside our physical bodies.
According to the article, what is the effect of Earth's rainforests on even the 'driest, highest places' on the planet?
A.They create the 'long, dark shadow' the author mentions later.
B.They exhale oxygen that makes the air 'sweet and thick' even thousands of miles away.
C.They cause more rain to fall in those high, dry places.
D.They provide a visual contrast that makes the deserts look even uglier.
B.They exhale oxygen that makes the air 'sweet and thick' even thousands of miles away.
Which line from the poem suggests the speaker is feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by the state of the world?
A.“I am a hearth of spiders these days: a nest of trying.”
B.“Winter’s icy hand at the back of all of us.”
C.“Look, we are not unspectacular things.”
D.“Man, we should really learn some new constellations.”
A.“I am a hearth of spiders these days: a nest of trying.”
Which best describes the shared rhetorical goal of both Walkowicz's 'final thought experiment' and Limón's 'final questions'?
A.To demand that the government spend more money on the Kepler mission.
B.To inspire a shift in perspective that leads to the preservation of Earth.
C.To prove that alien life is likely to be hostile to humans.
D.To explain the mathematical probability of finding a second Earth.
B.To inspire a shift in perspective that leads to the preservation of Earth.
How does the author's tone in 'Let's Not Use Mars as a Backup Planet' change at the end of the talk?
A.It shifts from describing scientific data to making a philosophical call for cooperation.
B.It shifts from being hopeful about space to being angry at NASA.
C.It shifts from a humorous joke about the Titanic to a serious warning about icebergs.
D.It shifts from being an astronomer to being a climate scientist.
A.It shifts from describing scientific data to making a philosophical call for cooperation.
Walkowicz states, 'we should be able to surmount the far easier task of preserving the habitability of the Earth.' What is the most accurate synonym for 'surmount' in this sentence?
A.Ignore
B.Observe
C.Avoid
D.Overcome
D.Overcome
What is the 'possible solution to Fermi's paradox' that Walkowicz suggests, and what is its implied cause?
A.The cause is the Titanic sinking, which discouraged space travel.
B.The cause is a giant shadow cast by Mars, which makes aliens impossible to see.
C.The cause is technological advancement, which leads civilizations to neglect their home planets.
D.The cause is lack of fuel, which prevents aliens from leaving their planets.
C.The cause is technological advancement, which leads civilizations to neglect their home planets.
Which final piece of evidence from the article best encapsulates the author's primary conclusion?
A.“I look for choice alien real estate.”
B.“2014 was the hottest year on record.”
C.“Kepler is a space telescope that measures the subtle dimming of stars.”
D.“Planetary preservation and interplanetary exploration can work together.”
D.“Planetary preservation and interplanetary exploration can work together.”